La Pigna in Sanremo from Bottom to Top, Sanremo, Italy

Stepping through Porta di Santo Stefano is like following Alice down the rabbit hole. The visitor is immediately immersed in the tangle of narrow, enclosed alleyways that is La Pigna the old town of Sanremo on the Italian Riviera. Once through the thickness of the old city walls the local grocery shop emerges out of the gloom. This old city gate is one of the main entrances into the original medieval settlement. Now it is a district of the thriving modern town that surrounds it. The name La Pigna (pine cone) describes the way its streets curl up around the hill like scales on a pine cone. 

When Sanremo was briefly part of the Republic of Genoa the Genoese they built a castle on the summit of this hill. As soon as their reign ended the local inhabitants destroyed this castle as a sign of their disdain for their conquerors. These narrow, winding streets were a defence against attacks by the North African Barbary pirates but not ideal for modern living. However, today the old town is enjoying a revival and is rapidly becoming a thriving residential area once again. The quiet and cool generated by the thick stone walls outweighs the inconvenience of not being able to park a car outside your own property. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).